As I popped into Trader Joe's today to finish up the last of my Thanksgiving shopping (namely, The Bird) I stumbled upon a display of absolutely scrumptious looking McIntosh apples. I'm an impulse food shopper anyway, but this was really too much of a magnet to just bypass. So, I scanned the offerings and selected for myself a bag of bright red, modest sized McIntosh apples.For the uninitiated (all you West Coasties who just have to have your Cameos and Braeburns), the McIntosh is the quintessential New England apple, with a dark reddish skin, tender white flesh, and a pleasing crispness when fresh--additionally, they smell wicked good! For years living on the Left Coast, I have tried each fall to find a reasonably good McIntosh in the local markets, only to be disappointed by mealy middles and no sweet-tart bite. Like fresh haddock, I decided the Mac's place was firmly rooted in the Northeast and it was better to stick to the local varieties.
So, not exactly being in New England at the moment, I was prepared for more shattered apple dreams and broken apple promises. But, with my first bite delivering a resounding pop, I knew I had bit into the apple of my childhood! It seems Sunrise Orchards of Cornwall, VT had delivered!
So, in addition to everything else I am thankful for this week, the humble yet noble McIntosh Apple is high on my list. And I can once again savor it's fragrant, apple-y goodness each fall.
4 comments:
Ah....I miss the Macs on the shelves too (and this time I'm not talking computer geek). As another former west coaster - I too never found a worthy substitute....so I substituted with Macintosh candles that smelled just like an orchard.
Have a great thanksgiving! It is just another day here.
Thank you for mentioning us on your blog sight. As the owner of Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, Vermont, I can honestly say that we have never been mentioned on someones sight before. We are very proud of our McIntosh apples grown on our 200 acre farm. Because of our soil, climmate growing, storage and distribution practicces, we believe we have the best tasting Mcintosh apple available. We take great pride in our apples and our farm, which my wife and I and our three kids, Sam Sophie and Malia operate. My father planted the orchard in 1974and we have the honor of continuing this New England tradition hopefully for another generation.
You will be able to keep enjoying our fruit well into May, 2009 at Trader Joe's because of the beautiful crop we have just finished harvesting here in Vermont. For more information on how we grow our apples and our philosphy toward the environment vist redtomato.org.
Thank you again for choosing Sunrise Orchards apples and Happy Thanks Giving.
Thanks, Barney, for posting and for the information on Red Tomato! Keep up the good work!
Finally! Someone who knows the best apple variety around! Great for cooking, eating, baking and for little babies learning to eat solids!
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